Enchanted Aquariums

Welcome to the Enchanted Aquariums. The information in my blog is provide with the intent of helping new aquarists set up their new tank quickly and smoothly. After having many near disaster myself I realised that the more information that there is on the Internet the better it is. I hope that you will find the information on the site useful. To start we will look at the basics you will need to think about and remember prior to purchasing your new fish.

With these 10 steps you side-step many common errors and get your fish tank up and running in no time at all.

• Deciding On The Kind Of Fish You Will Want To Keep

The first step prior to purchasing your fish tank is to decide on what kind of fish you want to keep, as different types of fish will require different environments, equipment and care. Do not purchase your equipment before you have made this important decision as you could find yourself with equipment, which is not suitable for your needs.

• Research The Type Of Fish You Want To Keep

It is important to learn about the type of fish that you will have. The best way to do this is via a book or on the Internet. By learning about them you will understand the conditions that they need to live in and what type of equipment you will need in your tank and how to set it up. When researching your fish, you can find out how big they will get this will then hep you determine the size of the fish tank you will need to ensure that they remain health and happy (1″ of healthy mature fish per gallon of water for small fish, 1″ of fish per 3 gallons of water for large or messy fish, more than that for marine fish). When you have selected the main fish for your tank find out which other fish are compatible with them. If different fish’s care needs, size, or temperament are extremely different, they will not be well matched and should not be kept together.

• Decide On The Space You Will Need

You have decided on the type of fish you want and the size of tank you need now you need to decide on where you will place the aquarium. How much space can you assign to the tank and accessories? Do not forget to assign  the right amount of  space between the tank and the wall for filters,  tubing, and/or cords.

• How Much Can You Afford To Spend

How much money do you want to spend on your aquarium? Is it your first one, is it the type of hobby in which you will continue to follow or that you may give up after a short time.

• Choosing Your Equipment

Pay a visit to your local aquarium shop to determine what type things you will need and how much it will cost you. If there is a special item that you will need for your tank ask them how much it will cost to place a special order. Always get an estimate before committing to any order.

• The Big Purchase

At this point you know what type of fish you want, space requirements, and budget, it is time to buy the equipment. If you require placing a special order for anything, do so early, as it may take a considerable time to get equipment by special order.

• Time To Setup the Equipment.

You now have all your equipment to set your tank up at home. Remember you need to wash down all the items before inserting them into the tank. Put aside a few hours to do this properly as this is your first fish tank.  Once all your equipment, decorations etc. are in place fill your tank with water and let it settle for at least a few days ensure that the equipment is turned on. This will help you ensure that everything is working properly and that there are no leaks in the tank.

• It’s Time For The Fish

It is time to start looking for the fish. Whilst the tank is running without the fish for the first few day go back to your list of fish and select a few starter fish. These fish should be robust, inexpensive, somewhat small, and the type that you will want to keep in your tank in the long run. You only want to select 1″ of fish per 10 gallons of water, but this time (and only this time) you can use the size the fish are when you get them to determine their impact. This is because your fish will not grow considerably in the 4-8 weeks it will take the tank to cycle.

• The Cycle Process Of Your Tank

For the following 4-8 weeks, you need to be patient. Be very meticulous with the maintenance of your tank, be sure not to over feed the fish, watch your fish’s behavior closely, if required do extra water changes and most of all DON’T ADD ANY MORE FISH. Until your tank has finished cycling, you ought to only stick with your few select starter fish.

• Maintenance Of Your Fish Tank

On a daily basis feed and observe the fish. The filters need to be check at least twice a week. Perform a 10-15% water change every week, and scrub the algae off at the same time. Every month, check all hoses, fittings, clamps, cords, light and all other equipment. If this sounds like a lot of what its not, a water change takes only about 30 minutes for ta tanks and at the same time you can check the equipment and scrub the tank

The above ten items are a good guideline to get you started on the right foot with your new aquarium.

Gloria Gangi | Aquariums | 01 3rd, 2011 | 4 Comments »

My Aquarium

You might still find yourself, even after learning what you have learned, wondering whether or not you should look further into the purchase of some of the many chemicals that are sold for fish. After all, there have probably been a few people that told you that there is an obvious benefit to the fish or else this stuff would not be sold. Obviously, there could not just be a company trying to make money off people willing to buy into anything. But, you still think that some of these chemicals might be needed. Before you purchase and start using anything, you are going to want to make sure that you are asking yourself a few questions. If you can't answer these questions, you might want to rethink the purchase of such chemicals.

For starters, do you know why in particular you are adding these chemicals? Basically, what are they doing for the aquarium, for the fish and for you? Who is benefiting here? Are there many side effects that can be expected or should be looked for when using such chemicals? What are you going to do if you find that the chemicals you purchased for an all-important reason, do not actually do the job that they claim they can do?

Another thing to think about is whether the chemical that you will be using will have any bad interactions with other chemicals that you are using in the aquarium. If there are no bad reactions, how do you know if the chemical actually did anything at all? Are you going to be left just assuming that it worked? If the chemical does alter the aquarium, but a little too much, is there a way to correct this? Could your fish die from too much of this chemical? If so, just how much is too much?

What about the filtration? Will the chemicals that you are looking into buying affect the filtration any now or in the future? Also, if the chemical you are being sold is meant to correct something, how are you to know that this "something" is actually wrong in your aquarium or are you just guessing?

If you find that after careful thinking you are not able to properly answer all of these questions, you should not be trying to add chemicals to your aquarium that do not need to be there. Even if your aquarium did need something, which it probably doesn't, you need to make sure that you have as much information as possible in order to properly do the job. Otherwise, you are simply going to want to make sure that you are leaving the aquarium alone.

Gloria Gangi | Aquarium Maintenance | 09 15th, 2011 | Comments Off